At both the Waimea River and Snake River locations a natural river or river run flows across first and second natural formations, known as antidunes. Upon hitting the second natural antidune, the river flow jacks up into a natural surfable standing wave. Upon further research it has become apparent that, especially at the aforementioned mouth of the Waimea River where it flows into Waimea Bay, sand from either bank of the river deposits into the river flow and forms the antidunes. The antidunes are formed substantially in the shape of cambered aerofoils not unlike those found on a fixed and/or rotary heavier-than-air aircraft wings and their attendant attachments.
FIG. 1 shows a side-cutaway view of an antidune configuration as naturally occurs at a Waimea Bay natural surfable standing wave. As shown in FIG. 1, any number of antidunes may be formed along the river run at downstream locations from a first antidune. Surfable standing waves are created between the first antidune formation and a second antidune formation downstream of the first formation. Where the first antidune possesses less camber or convexity than the second formation, a surfable natural standing wave is created.
A problem that occurs at the Waimea Bay river mouth's surfable standing wave is the downstream collision of surfers riding thereon. A downstream collision is depicted in FIG. 1 at the region defined as "X" and is undesirable for safety reasons.
Many aquatic pool structures and systems have heretofore been invented and constructed for the purpose of creating surfable artificial waves: however, these structures and devices have not, to date, enabled the creation of a realistic simulated natural standing wave or a device which enables easy viewing for spectators.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,401,117; 5,393,170; 5,236,280; and 4,954,014 disclose wave forming devices. Devices are disclosed wherein a wave-shaping surface is used to form a flow of water into the shape of the wave-shaping surface. Water is then directed at great force toward the wave-shaping surface through nozzles at various velocities and the wave-shaped surfaces of the forced fluid flow can be ridden upon by surf riders. The forced fluid flow conforms to the contours of the slope of the wave-shaped surface. Such devices generally do not simulate natural surfable standing waves, as created upon rivers by antidune formations which have natural surfable standing wave formations that do not conform to their antidune wave forming means.
Simulated fluid tubular "barrels" created by prior devices may be injurious to surf riders and damaging to the device ridden by a surf rider. The combination of a surf rider being caught in the arcing flow of a moving fluid tubular section of a wave as created by the prior devices, and being propelled by gravity for the most part out of control and airborne in the arcing fluid flow, inevitably leads to a high-impact and inherently injurious collision with the hard surface of the wave-forming means.
It is desirable to provide a standing wave that simulates standing waves occurring in nature. It is also desirable to provide a standing wave for the amusement of surf riders, wherein the wave is formed on a flexible medium of sufficient flexibility to absorb the impact of a surfer rider spill or mishap thereon. It is also desirable to provide a standing wave for the amusement of surf riders, wherein the wave is formed on a flexible medium of sufficient transparency to permit multiple angle spectator viewing of surf riding action thereon.
It is desirable to provide a device that can form a safe arcing fluid tubular formation for surf riding wherein: the shape of the tubular formation is quickly and instantly variable; the fluid tubular formation is separate from the simulated natural standing wave forming means; and the wave forming means is of a design which avoids the launching of a surf rider from the tubular formation into a high-impact collision with the wave-forming device.